Jun 12, 2017
Canadian, U.S. flyers disagree on solutions to airline industry issues, poll finds
BNN Bloomberg
While many Canadians and American air travelers agree that airline service has declined over the past decade, a new survey shows a big difference in how passengers from the different countries think the problem should be addressed.
The online survey, which polled 1,533 Canadians between May 24-28 2017,was inspired by a recent wave of high-profile airline passenger incidents, said Ian Holliday, a spokesperson for the Angus Reid Institute. Those incidents include the viral video of a United Airlines passenger being forcibly removed from an airplane. The incident sparked outrage and the CEO for forced to make a public apology and appear before a U.S. congressional hearing.
A majority of Canadians (63 per cent) said there should be more government regulation in the airline industry; according to the survey, while most Americans (59 per cent) said it should be left up to the markets to punish unfavourable airlines.
“Canadians are generally more trusting of their government than Americans are of their own,” Ian Holliday, a spokesperson for the Angus Reid Institute, told BNN noting Canadians may have greater confidence in governments to move more swiftly than their American counterparts.
Both countries have recently intervened in attempt to stop the practice of airline bumping. Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau introduced a passenger bill of rights last month as part of a number of amendments to the Canada Transportation Act. In the U.S., a Democratic bill to tackle the issue was introduced in April.
Respondents in both Canada (23 per cent) and the U.S. (32 per cent) said they worry regulations could lead to fare hikes; however, most flyers in both countries said they would pay more for a better experience.
Roughly four in 10 Canadians and Americans said the industry has worsened over the last decade, with 65 per cent of Canadians and nearly 60 per cent of Americans saying that airlines restrict competition and have higher prices than they should.
The poll also revealed when it comes to overall satisfaction for specific airlines, WestJet was strongly preferred over Air Canada. In the U.S., Southwest Airlines and JetBlue were the top-rated airlines, while United Airlines had the worst ratings.
